A Way with Destiny
by Sage Nightshade
Summary: Betrayal, a deep secret... Count Olivir of the Etrurian Court has been assassinated. Two formerbandits are given the charge of protecting the Count's only remaining relative... Read&Review Plz! I suck at summaries.Rated M to be safe.
1. Chapter 1

_**A Way With Destiny**_

_Speed be with you, now go on, get out of here._

A group of cavaliers taking up escort positions around a carriage looked mighty suspicious to him. _Now this is the kind of thing you don't see everyday._ He thought to himself as he unsheathed his blade from it's place on the back of his waist._ No point in wasting any time then, I better inform the others._ He looked up at the skies for a moment, noticing how the dark clouds over head were simply **promising** rain in a short time. The young man let out a smile and brushed aside a bang of black hair as he silently scuttled off.

Seconds later, he had passed his message along and they were all ready. It was then he noticed on one of the sides of the carriage he could see from his vantage point, that it bore the insignia of the Count Oliver.

"Now!" The command came all at once as several men charged from their hiding spots down the hill toward the carriage. The horsemen reacted at once, forming several ranks to repel the invaders.

He smiled to himself as he stood up and quietly urged his fellows to follow him as they came down on the opposite hill. Unfortunately, one of the cavaliers had time to cry out before he dismounted the man fairly ungraciously and killed him.

"Damn!" He whispered as a portion of the horsemen that were not repelling his comrades broke off and started to come around to the other side of the carriage where they were. _This isn't exactly what we had planned but..._ Thunder flashed, before a loud explosion was heard stopping all combatants.

"Blast! They've caught up to us!" called one of horse-mounted knights who was carrying a lance. The bandits backed off, and began retreating en masse to the hills, and after that, to the mountains beyond them.

_Good call,_ Shade thought as he cried out to those around him. "Retreat! Fall back!" His own group of men started running, as did he, but not before several cavaliers cut him and another off from the rest. "Thought you could get away huh?" Mocked one of the horsemen as he shifted his lance to Shade's neck. He looked over at the other person who'd been caught with him, and to his dismay, found it was his childhood friend Mikal.

"Quite a mess we're in here eh 'mate?" Shade shrugged, and dropped his sword to the dirt at almost the same time Mikal did. _Well, they caught us... Damn_.

"How many losses did we take Orthus?" The horseman in question sighed sadly, "We lost Graves and Eeirthin to the brigands, and "Saber", who volunteered to draw our good _friends_ away." He'd bitten venomously down on the worn 'friends' but lost the tone immediately after. "Three lives..." The Knight Commander was not pleased, Graves and Eeirthin had been good men, and Severin, nicknamed Saber for his skill with a curved blade, was gone as well. "Did we capture any of the bandits?" Orthus shrugged, and then went to find out without the Knight Commander asking.

Moments later, he came back with the answer: "Sir, we managed to gain a hold of two of the brigands before they escaped. They only seem to be young lads' though." The Knight Commander nodded, and replied: "Orthus, check on our charge, I'll attend to these bandits." The horseman nodded and rode over to the carriage while the Knight Commander dismounted. Many of his knights were worn out though, thus they had set up camp in the hills.

He strode to one of the tents after checking with one of his men to find out where they were. Inside, were two bound young lads, not much more than sixteen summers old. "Now then, why did you attack us?" he started, while Shade looked back at him with an eyebrow raised. "We were bandits, why do you think we attacked you? Especially since seeing nobles around these parts is fairly rare." The Knight Commander's eyes narrowed at Shade's choice of words. "So what are you now?" Shade once again answered, "Your prisoners, but would you mind explaining to me who is pursuing you?"

_The boy is sharp._ "Perhaps we could make a deal." The lad looked at him questioningly while his friend was still silent, and likely felt he'd just been dragged into all this. "Perhaps indeed, what do you have in mind?" The Knight Commander chuckled, knowing he could use this to his advantage... "I am Knight Commander Shane Farilah, I wish to hire the both of you to protect someone for six months."

The word _Typical_ came to Shade's mind, but he said nothing. "Assuming we accept, What do we get out of this?" Shane chose his next words carefully: "Your lives, and freedom. For After these six months, you will be free to go back to whatever you wish to." Shade nodded, and then looked over to Mikal. "Is this acceptable?" He had carefully not said Mikal's name, and received a nod from his friend.

"Very well then Commander, we shall protect whoever this person is, now if you will, please untie us, and return my sword to me."

"We are on our way to Ostia, the largest territory in Lycia." spoke Shane, as he continued. "We are currently being pursued by forces not known to us, but be it known that they killed the count…"

"Wait," Shade thought for a second, about where they were, and mentally reviewed a map of the continent. "So they killed one of the Counts of Etruria?" The Knight-commander nodded, "And you don't know why?" Shane shook his head.

"Very interesting… I assume your charge within the carriage is in some way related to the Count?"

At his words, Shane chuckled. "You are very sharp my boy, yes, she is." Shade tilted his head slightly to one side. "Oh, well I can understand why you would like _us_. To keep an eye on her." He gestured to himself and Mikal needlessly.

He held out his hand. "Then just to make sure we have a deal Commander." Shane hesitated for a second before shaking Shade's hand. _He doesn't trust me, I wonder why he -hired- us then…_

His thoughts were cut short as someone cried out. "Bandits!" Shane bolted out of the tent, as Shade stood up, his sword in hand. "Mikal, we may be up against our own here…" The other former-bandit only nodded, though he was quivering.

"Don't worry, if you can't fight, stay here." And with that, Shade darted out through the tent flaps, readying himself for battle..


	2. Chapter 2

A/N: I know there hasn't been any appearances of any characters other than the ones I've come up with, but don't worry, they'll be there eventually...

Diaclaimer: I do NOT own Fire Emblem... unfortunately.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 

Shade backpedaled to maintain a safe distance between him and his former boss.

"Damn you… Why Shade, WHY? I gave you a home.. I fed you, I kept you alive, and this is how you repay me? By stabbing me in the back!?" Shade didn't answer, instead stopping and holding his ground, surprising the charging bandit leader.

"I have a contract now." He uttered, just loud enough for the man to hear. "And I'll not break my oath to it. I at least, still have Honor Veyran, Unlike YOU!" He sprang forward, his sword flashing out as he did.

Seconds later, the Bandit-lord slumped over, his head missing. Panting, Shade stood back up, forgetting briefly about the injuries on his left arm, and back.

_I pity you Veyran, but I have something to attend to._ He moved as best he could past fighting cavaliers and bandits toward the carriage, which he noticed, was somehow untouched, until his wounds started giving him a great deal of pain.

He stopped for a moment, checking to see if he still had the vulnerary he had acquired off an already-dead bandit before his boss had attacked him, and found he did. He applied half of it to both of his wounds, which healed to a certain degree. Feeling slightly better he noticed a bandit coming right at him out of the corner of his eye.

This one wasn't a familiar face, and he pivoted to face the man sword ready. He deflected the bandit's first strike, and deadlocked him with the second.

"You… You bastard!" The bandit cried out as Shade stopped applying force to his own blade, and backed off, stepping to the side as the bandit sprang forward, and tripped over Shade's foot.

Bringing the flat of his sword down on the man's head, he took the man's sword, and sheathed his own, heading again for the carriage… _I really, didn't want to kill my former-comrades... but he forced me to kill him._

-

"Leave me alone!" the young woman cried out, as she managed to open the carriage door, and throw herself out. The two bandits that had come in through the opposite sides grinned at each other. "Ohh, 'tis a fine catch eh 'mate?" The other bandit looked to him, and chuckled, "You got tha' right 'mate, She's a pretty 'un." She stared at them for a moment, before trying to run, only to find herself running into another bandit.

She closed her eyes, knowing he was going to hit her, or something, but no such attack came. Instead she felt herself gently pushed around him. "Stay here." His voice came, and she nodded, opening her eyes to look at the raven-haired man.

Shade watched with disinterest as the two bandits approached him. "You idiots." He spat at them, and they froze. "W-We.. T-that voice… It's Shade…" They both paled. "That's right, and I took care of your boss too." He could see the sweat just forming on their brows… "If you want to live, I suggest running." Both of them dropped their respective weapons, and ran as if it was the Magic General herself chasing after them.

He sighed, and turned to the young lady. "Are you alright?"

She looked like she was in a doze, but snapped out of it, replying quickly. "Y-Yes, I'm fine… just who are-"

He shifted around her, cutting down an arrow that had been heading for her. "Careful now milady, it's not very safe here. My colleague and I have been appointed your guardians." She nodded slowly, and he chuckled. In his mind, he was calculating.

_Blast it, where would be the safest place in this carnage…?_

His thoughts were shattered as he looked over the battles going on. "Here, come on now, it's not safe here." She nodded, and straightened up before following him to the tent he had come out of a short time ago.

He moved aside tent flaps and let her in first, noticing Mikal was still there. "Mikal, watch the lady if you please." The other former-bandit simply nodded, looking a bit pale now.

_Time to finish this battle._ He was determined, spotting a few cavaliers that looked like they had just fought off Hell's army and come back, move toward him.

"You! Oh wait, you're the one the Commander-" Shade cut him off.

"Not now, I want you and your friends to reinforce them over there." He gestured toward where most of the cavaliers, dismounted and mounted, were battling the force of bandits.

They immediately went off, though Shade couldn't quite place why, before he himself headed into the battle. He was skilled, he knew that, but tried not to show it.

"Shade!" He froze, and looked toward the speaker of his name. To his relief, it was only Shane, who was still on foot, his lance bloody . The man strode over, looking fine as he spoke up. "Shade, have you seen to-" Shade raised his hand, "Yes, I took her back to the tent where Mikal was. He should be able to protect her, provided we don't let any more bandits slip away." The Knight-commander nodded.

"Perhaps it is time we finished this battle then." Shade nodded, but then as he surveyed the battlefield, an old habit of his, he noted that a group of the bandits were breaking off, and heading in a different direction-

"Commander, I need a detachment of your men, they're headed for Mikal and your… charge."

The man raised an eyebrow but nodded. Several of his unhorsed cavaliers came to join him at his beckoning. "Men! Our Lord's Daughter needs our help! We go to her aid!" They gave a fierce cry, and Sage directed them to intercept the group of bandits heading in that direction, as he himself sprinted back toward the tent.

_Something still isn't right._

-

"So your name is Mikal correct?" The young man in question nodded. "Would you care to tell me who that other was?" she asked, and he hesitated, before speaking to her. "His name is Shade." The name got her thinking.

_That's quite an odd name._ "I see, so you two are my guardians?" He nodded, "I suppose this is Shane's work, is it not?" He nodded once again.

"I see… well then, my name is…" She didn't get any farther before her world suddenly went black.


End file.
